Automatic radio program selector



June 17, 1947. PENNINGTON 2,422,253

AUTOMATIC RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR Filed May 25, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 INVENTOR June 17, 1947. R, PEN 2,422,253

AUTOMATIC RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR Filed May 25, 1942 4 Sheets- Sheet 2 June 17, 1947. G. R. PENNINGTON 2,422,253

AUTOMATIC RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR Filed May 25, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 OF'F' WWA wwo wws wwe a0; wws MWG 6 WWF' Patented June 17, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l AUTOMATIC RADIO PROGRAM SELECTOR Gordon R. Pennington, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Application May 25, 1942, Serial No. 444,331

17 Claims. 1

This invention relates to automatic program selectors for radio receiving sets.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved radio program pre-selector, the user of which can pre-select any one of up to seven radio transmitting stations (or, if preferred, no reception at all) for each of the 511 fifteen minute periods between 6 A. M. through 12:15 P. M., or any other desired portion of the day, from Monday morning to Sunday midnight, and have these pre-selected, stations automatically tuned in on his or her radio set at the times desired, week after week, until different preselections are made.

A further object of my invention is to provide a fully automatic program selector, as above, which will include a minimum number of wires and, therefore, a minimum number of Wire connections.

A further object of my invention is to provide in such a selector, means for quickly and easily setting, or changing, the pre-selections.

-A further object of my invention is to provide the minimum interval between the tuning out of one station and the tuning in of another when shifts are called for.

A still further object of my invention is to provide, in such a selector, precise timing of the tuning-in of the programs pre-selected even though the dimensions of the time controlling switch parts are not held to close manufacturing tolerances.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of the side of a conventional radio cabinet showing my preferred location of the face of my novel selector in such a cabinet.

Fig. 2 is a face view of that part of my invention, in its preferred form, which is visible from the exterior of the radio cabinet.

Fig. 3 is a partial section along the line 33 in Fig. 2. V

Fig. 4 is a partial section alon the line 44 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary rear view of the device.

Fig, 6 is a fragmentary section through the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view from the plane 1-1 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section along the line 8-8 in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section along the line 99 in Fig. 7.

1 Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view along the line lO-IflinFiaB.

2 Fig. 11 is an end view from the plane H--l I in Fig. 5.

Fig. 12 is an interrupted diagram illustrating the cycle of events and their timing during each 24 hour period.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary view of the frontal face of an alternative form of my invention.

Fig. 14 is a partial section on the line |4l4 in Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a partial section on the line l5--|5 in Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a developed view of the cylindrical surface shown in Fig. 14, and showing the contact areas on the wall of the hole and on the plug.

In general, my novel automatic radio program selector comprises a laminated panel, consisting of several brass sheets (one for each of the radio broadcasting stations from among whose programs selection is to be offered) cemented between sheets of plastic or other (relatively) nonconducting material and pierced by seven groups of holes (one group for each day in the week and one hole in each group for each fifteen minute broadcasting period during that part of the day for which automatic selection is to be offered) and electrically conducting plugs manually insertable, or rotatable, in any or all of said holes each adapted to selectively contact any one of said brass sheets and thereby to pre-select, for the periods corresponding to said holes, any one of the tuning circuits of an associated conventional push-button radio receiving set. Electric clock driven switching mechanism of novel design completes electrical circuits, at the proper times, through said plugs and therefore, through the particular brass sheet each of said plugs has been pre-disposed to select. Each of said circuits can be adapted by relays, or other well known electric means, to supplant or Operate conventional push-button tuning circuits or other tuning devices in the associated radio receiving set.

My novel program selector can be marketed as a separate unit adapted to be hooked up by any radio service man to any existing pushbutton receiving set but I prefer to describe it as built into the same cabinet as the receiving set it is to control.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 12, inclusive, the panel 20 is built up of the plastic face 2| and plastic sheets 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 21, 28 and 29 alternating with, and cemented to, thin sheets 30 to 36, inclusive, of conducting metal such as hard copper or brass. Panel 20 is pierced by-fourteen horizontal rows of holes 3 31, two rows for each day of the week as labelled by the letters 38 molded on the plastic face 2I. One hole in each pair of rows corresponds to each fifteen minute period of the day, as identified by the figures molded along the top of face 2 I.

The metal sheets 30 to 36, inclusive, are provided at one end with projecting tabs to 45, inclusive, to which are soldered wires to 56, inclusive, which complete circuits paralleling and, when the set is on automatic selection, replacin the usual push button circuits (not shown) of the associated conventional radio receiving set in cabinet I0.

In a receptacle (not shown) ,located in any convenient part of the radio cabinet I0; are kept a quantity of each of seven similan but different, station pie-selecting switch plugs 60 to 65, inclusive (of which 60, 65, 6B alone are shown). Plugs 50, identified by a letter A, 10, stamped or etched on their ends, are provided with flexible metallic fingers 51, attached by rivets 68 to hold these plugs in place, when inserted in holes 31 against the shoulders I8, and with flexible metallic fingers 11 attached by rivets 18 so located as to make electrical contact with the metal sheet 30 which serves to complete the, circuit for tuning in transmitting station A. Plugs SI, 62, B3, 64, and 66 are identical except that they arerespectivelyidentified by letters B, C, D, et'c. 1I to V 18 inclusive) and, upon them the fingers 11 are located so as to contact respectively th metal sheets 3 tQ 3o, inclusive, which complete the tuning circuits for stations B, C, D, etc. Which of these plugs to 66, inclusive, is inserted in any hole 31 determines which of the stations A to q inclu'sive, will be automatically tuned in on the day of the week, and the period of the day, to which that hole corresponds.

The identical tips 69 of all of the plugs 60 to 56, inclusive, form contactpoint's which project beyond the plastic sheet29 when the plugs are fully inserted in any of the holes 31. These tips 69 are contacted by the metallic fingers to B6 or 50 to 95, inclusive, as the contact carrier '81 moves across the back face of the panel 20.

. The contact. carrier 01 is provided with a follower 86 which engages the continuous double spiral groove .89 in the shaft 91. The spindle portion 88 of the follower '88 is journalled in the needlebearing. 99. A screw plug I00 prevents the parts 03 and 99 from getting out of place.

The shaft 91 is fixed by means of the screw I 04 tothe cam disc I03 which is keyed to the shaft i 02 of the 24 hour electric clock I'0I which is held by screw I01 to the bracket on the frame l I3. By appropriate. gearing, the shaft 02 r'evolves once every half, hour in a clockwise direction when viewed as in Fig.5l1.

H The groove 89 has a left hand lead per turn equal to the center to center distances between the holes in any horizontal row. At each end it reversesin a half turn. The return, or right hand spiral, has such a lead, and number of turns, as to move the carrier 81 through a com 6:00 A. M.) the boss II5 on the carrier 81 pushes the screw H6 to the right, thus forcing the bar 5 I1 against the spring I I2 which is bent into the position i 52' touching the contact H4 and continuing the electrical circuit through connector !!'8 and wire I!!! to the mercoid switch I20. The bar H1 is held in its extreme right hand position by the detent spring I2I which engages notch I22 in bar II1 until, as the carrier 81 reaches the left hand end of its travel (between 12:15 and 12:30 P. M.) the boss I23 pushes the screw I24 to the left, moving the bar II1 back into the position shown in Fig. 5 and thus allowing the spring II 2 to leave contact H4 and thus make the selector inactive during the hours between about 12:20 P. M. and 5:50 A. M. while the carrier 81 returns from left to right.

The wire H9, after entering the merc0id" switch I20, divides into two branches I2I and I22 which approach, but do not quite touch, the contacts I23 and I24. The mercoid switch I20 is clipped to the bar I29 which pivots on the pin I32 in the bracket I33 fixed to the frame II3. A roller I21, mounted on pin I28 fixed to the bar E29, is held in contact with the periphery-of the cam disc I03 by the spring I30. When the roller 28 is in contact with the portion I03 of the periphery, the bar {I29 tilts to the left (in Fig. 1-1) and the mercury drop or globule I 3I consequently rolls to the left and completes thecircuit through contact I 23 and wire I25. When the roller I20 is in contact with the other half I03 of'the periphery, the tilt is to the right and the drop I3I completes the circuit through contact I24 and wire I26. As disc I03 revolves a half revolution in fifteen minutes, the wires I25 and I26 are alternately energized for fifteen minute periods. The interval between the instant when the mercury drop I3I breaks the contact on one end and the instant when it makes contact at the other end of the switch is very brief. (As will beshown later, this is the interval between the tuning out ofone station at the end of each fifteen minute period and the tuning in of another station, or the retuning in of the same station, and will be negligible.)

Wire I26 connects electrically with the brass commutator ring I34 through the connector I35, the brush holder I36, the spring I31, and the carbon brush I38. The wire I-25connects'electrical- 1y with the brass commutator ring I30 through the connector I40, the screw I4 I, and the flexible brass finger I42. The commutator rings-134 and I39 are riveted to the Bakelite 'discl43 'which'is riveted to the shaft I44 which is fixed to the ratchet wheel I45 by the pin I46. The ratchet wheel I45 is yieldingly held in one of seven positions (one foreach dayof the week) by the spring steel retainer I41 which is fixed to the carrier 01 by the screw I 48. Each time the'carrier 01 moves to the left hand end of its travel, the ratchet tooth I45 which is lowest is engaged by the bar I49 which can oscillate on the screw'I50 fixed in the frame I 13 but is normally held againstthe stop I5 I by the spring I52. Slightly after 12:15 P. M. (the exact moment beingdc'termine'd by the adjusted length of the bar I 49) the ratchet wheel I45 is revolved 51% degrees counterclockwise (as viewed in Fig. 5) by the bar I49, and is maintain-ed in the new position for the succeeding twenty-four hours by the retainer I41.

At each of the positions taken by t'l'ie ratchet wheel I45, the projection I53 on the'commu'tator ring isin contact with one of the spring brass contactors 80 to 86, inclusive, and the projectio'n I54 on the commutator ring I34. is in contact with that one of the spring brass contactors 90 to 96, inclusive, whose reference number ends in the same digit. When the switch is in the position shown in Fig. 7 (which is the Wednesday position) contactor 82 becomes energized when wire I25 is energized and contactor 92 becomes energized when wire I26 is energized. Thus, the contactor which moves over the upper row of holes, 1. e., the holes for the even hours and half hours for any day of the week, is energized for fifteen minutes and then the contactor which moves over the lower row of holes for the same day of the week is energized. The area of the contactor tips which bear on the ends 69 of such plugs 60 to 66, inclusive, as may have been insorted in their path may be such as to make electrical contact simultaneously with plugs in consecutive holes in any row and plugs may be contacted simultaneously in different rows. However, only that one of the contactors which is in contact with a plug in the hole for a given fifteen minute period will be energized. By adjusting the relative positions of the electric clock I01, the cam disc I03, and the shaft 91, the shiftover from energizing plugs in consecutive time positions as indicated on the face of the panel 20 can be synchronized precisely with the hands of the electric clock and, if the latter is set to the correct time, with the program changes in the transmitting radio stations. The day of the week position of the ratchet wheel I45 can be synchronized either by running the clock ahead the necessary number of 12 hour periods or by manually rotating the ratchet wheel. A button and manually operating ratchet bar (not shown) can be provided to make the day of the week adjustment convenient. Optionally, also, lights can be located to shine on, or through, the designations for the days of the week, using conventional means (not shown) to visually indicate the day of the week.

The diagram, Fig. 12, shows the daily cycle of operation of the set. Following this around clockwise, the solid black rectangles show the periods during which plugs in successive holes are energized and the stations corresponding to the letter designations 10 to I6, inclusive, on the plugs are tuned in. At point I53, or at about 6:37 /2 A. M., the plug in the 6:45 A. M. hole (in any given row) is contacted by one of the contactors 90 to 96 (according to the day of the week). This 6:45 A. M. plug is not, however, energized until precisely 6:45 A. M. when the mercury switch cuts out the contactors 80 to 86 and cuts in the contactors 90 to 98. The plug in the 6:45 A. M. hole remains in contact with its contactor until about 7:12 /2 A. M. when the contactor the relative positions of the when the contactor moves on to contact the plug (if any) inserted in the 7:15 hole. However, the 6:45 plug ceases to be energized after 7:00 A. M. when the mercury switch shifts the connection to the upper row of holes in the pair of rows for the day in question. Similarly, such plugs as may have been inserted in consecutive holes (alternately in upper and lower rows corresponding to the day of the week in question) are energized and the metal sheets 30 to 36, inclusive, energized selectively according to the plug designations pre-selected and inserted in these holes. As each of the sheets 30 to 36, inclusive, completes a circuit controlling the associated radio receiving set which tunes in a particular frequency and therefore, normally, a particular station, the programs desired can be preselected for each of the broadcasting periods of the week and will be tuned in automatically (provided the set is on automatic selection) at the precise proper times, week after week, until new pre-selections are made. 7

At the point IE5, or about 12:20 P. M. the bar I I! will be shifted away from the spring I I2 which thereupon will break contact with the part I I4 and thus prevent the tuning in of all stations until point I56, or about 5:50 A. M., when the bar II! is shifted so as to bring the spring II2 again in contact with the part II4 thus re-energizing the selecting mechanism. The clock I0 I in the meantime continuously receives current, independently, by wires (not shown) connected to the usual house lighting circuit so that the movement of the carrier 81 is normally continuous.

The normal manner of use of this device is as follows: After the owner has set the electric clock IOI to the correct hour and the ratchet wheel I45 to the correct day of the week (if the optional indicating lights are provided this adjustment will,

of course, be visual, otherwise the day of the week can be determined by seeing into which hole, under the proper hour designation, the insertion or removal of a plug will tune the set on or off). If then the user, for example, desires to have his radio set automatically tuned in Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on a program broadcast by station A (as identified by a list made up by the service man who may have tuned his various push button choices) at eight P. M., he selects, from the receptacles provided for the purpose in the cabinet I9, three plugs 69 marked A, and inserts these in the holes under 8 P. M. in the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday rows. Thereafter, so long as the radio set and the selecto mechanism continue in operation, the pre-selected stations will be tuned in at the selected time, week after week, until the plugs are removed. As program changes are announced by the transmitting stations, or as the users choice alters, he has but to remove the plugs no longer suitable and insert others as desired. It is expected that the average user will need to make only a few changes, if any, per week normally.

When no plug is inserted in any particular hole, no station will be tuned in during the period corresponding. Although I have shown my design as giving seven station choices, it will be apparent that by merely increasing the number of metallic sheets in the panel and the number of plug variations to correspond, selection could be made from any number of stations.

Figs. 13, 14, 15 and 16 illustrate an alternate form of my invention insofar as this is not identical to the construction already described. In general, this alternate construction differs from the first form in that the station selecting plugs are not removable but can be rotated, preferably by a key, into any one of eight angular positions to pre-select any one of seven stations, or no station at all, at the time corresponding to the plug position. This necessarily requires a full set of 511 plugs but offers the advantage that it can be reset to new program selections in few seconds and there are no loose plugs that can be lost.

The plugs 290, which are all alike, have screw machine heads 29! on the sides of which are formed flats 202. A ke 203 fits over the round portions of the heads 20I and has a flat surface to engage the flats 202. This key can be conveniently attached by a light chain (not shown) to the cabinet I9 and kept, when not in use, in a receptacle at the base of the panel 20. When this key 203 engages any one of the plug heads 20! and is rotated so that the arrow 204 points in any one of the positions shown in the rosette 205, the plug 200 will (as will be shown) be set to complete the electrical circuit through the brass sheet of sheets 230 to 236 which is correlated with the tuning circuit in the associated radio set for the transmitting station whose call letters correspond to the identifying letters 206 placed (by any convenient conventional method) opposite seven of the rosette points. When the arrow 204 is turned to point vertically upwards, there will be no contact with any of the brass sheets in the panel 20 and therefore no program will be tuned in at the quarter hour corresponding to the plug position. A thin walled brass tube 201, which has been tinned on the outside, is pressed into the plug head 29! and fixed thereto by a soldering operation. A spiral ridge 2GB is raised .007" to .010 on all except the ends of the tube 297 by a radial coining operation, or otherwise. The helix angle -of this ridge is such as to produce a quarter of a revolution of the ridge around the plug in the distance between the centers of any two of the brass sheets 239 to 236, inclusive. It Will be noted from Figure 14 that the spiral .258 is of such a length as to enable selective contact of the sheets 233-236 during a revolution of the plug. Preferably this length will, as in the preferred embodiment, be approximately 1 /2 turns such having the advantage that any plane passed through the axis of the spiral will intersect the latter at three points in contact with the wall of the hole 231 so as to obtain good electrical contact at the time the spiral 26B engages one of the sheets, this being facilitated by the slight distortion of the plug to which reference is hereinafter made. A though I do not desire to be precise as to this number of turns it will be manifest that when less than the full 1 /2 turns .is used the advantageous three point contact will be lost in some planes and when 1 turns is much exceeded there will be more than three points of contact in some planes resulting in unnecessary thickness, and therefore cost, of the panel 21).

Five hundred and eleven (511) holes 23], which are circular except for radially inwardly projecting tab 238 (22 1 from the vertical) are punched in each of the brass sheets 30 to 23.3, inclusive, before these are cemented between the plastic sheets 222 to 229 Eoles 239 with radially inwardly projecting tabs 240, an equal amount from the vertical in the opposite direction, are similarly punched in the brass sheets 23 i, 235 and 235. When the holes 24! are drilled through the cement-ed pane-l these are so located, and of such a diameter, as to cut off portions 242 and 2 53 of the tabs 238 and 26-5, respectively, but not otherwise to contact the brass sheets 238 to .236, leaving a clearance 244 (which may or may not become fully filled with plastic during the cementing operation) between the surface of the drilled h -e and the brass except where the tabs 23% and 24B are located, thus providing electrical contact surfaces 259 to 256, inclusive, at, and only at, the tab locations. The amount of space so provided is preset to be sufiicient to allow for expected variations in hole locations in production. Likewise the tabs 23S and 2 9 are made of sufficient length to assure that they will be trimmed during the drilling operation to form the contact areas 25s to 258, inclusive, on the surface of the hole.

A plug 208 is shown in Figs. 1-4, and .116 in the position in which it contacts the brass sheet 230 through the contact area 250. If this plug be turned counterclockwise (as seen from the front .of the panel) the raised ridge 208 will contact the brass sheet 234 through the contact area 254. Further rotation in the same direction will establish contacts, at 45 intervals, with the brass sheets 231, 235, 232, 236 and 233 in succession through the contact areas 251, 255, 252, 256 and 253. An additional 45 of rotation in the same direction (or 45 of clockwise rotation from the position shown) will establish no contact and is, therefore the off position. I prefer to proportion the width of the top, or contacting portion, of the ridge 208 and the widths of the tabs, and therefore of the contacting areas 250 to 255, inclusive, so that, as the plug 2 is rotated, each contact will be made at approximately the point when the preceding contact is broken. Thus it will not be necessary for the user to position the plugs accurately when station selections are made, as angular positions merely approximating those indicated on the rosette 205 will produce the desired result.

The flats 282 must, of course, be accurately positioned, angularly with respect to the spiral 208. This positioning can readily be accomplished in an automatic machine by machining the flat while the assembly of the head 20! and the tube 201 (soldered at an earlier position) is gripped in the die which forms the ridge 208. This die is machined so as to make the top of the ridge .2138 project a few thousandths of an inch outside of the cylinder which would just fit easily into the drilled hole 2 and which substantially coincides with the cylindrical surfaces 20! and MIT at the ends of the tube 201. Thus, when a plug 290 is inserted in a hole 24!, the tube 201 is necessarily distorted slightly. This distortion, in combination with the resiliency of the hard drawn brass of which the tube 207 is made, assures positive pressure between the top of the ridge 208 and the contact areas 250 to 256, inclusive, which are flush with the walls of the drilled holes 241. After the plugs 200 have been inserted in the holes 2M, brass caps 259 are firmly pressed on the cylindrical end portions 20! of the plugs 209 to hold the latter in place and to provide contact with the contactors 89 to 85 or to :95, according to location.

The operation of this alternate form of my invention is the same as for the form first described, except as indicated above.

To either form of my invention, conventional relay circuits may be added, if desired, to cut off the flow of current through the tubes of the associated radio receiving set when none of the tuning circuits through the panel 20 are energized.

Numerous other modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teaching herein and it is not intended to limit the spirit or scope thereof except as set forth in the claims appended below. The terms horizontal and vertical are used herein to conveniently describe relative orientation but it will be obvious that the structure described can read- 1157 :be built to function properly in any attitude.

I claim:

1. In an automatic radio program selector, the combination of: a panel pierced by seven groups of holes and consisting of .a plurality of metallic elements, each presenting a contact surface within :each of said holes, sandwiched between layers of electrically non-conducting material; markings relating each of said holes to a particular broadcasting period of the day and each of said groups of holes to a particular day of the week;

plugs operable in said holes to make electrical contact with any one of said elements; a contact carrier provided with contacts adapted to make electrical connections with said plugs; electric clock driven means adapted to move said contact carrier across said panel to make the said connections during the periods of each day corresponding to said markings; switching means, correlated to said electric clock driven means, adapted to complete circuits, on each day of the week, through, and only through, such of said plugs as are in the group of holes corresponding to that day of the week; and switching means adapted to break said circuits during that portion of the day not covered by said markings.

2. In an automatic radio program selector, the combination of: a panel pierced by seven groups of holes and consisting of a plurality of metallic elements, each forming part of an electrical circuit adapted to tune an associated radio receiving set to a particular broadcasting station and each presenting a contact surface within each of said holes, sandwiched between layers of electrically non-conducting material; markings relating each of said holes to a particular broadcasting period of the day and each of said groups of holes to a particular day of the Week; plugs operable in said holes to make electrical contact with any one of said elements; a contact carrier provided with contacts adapted to make electrical connections with said plugs; electric clock driven means adapted to move said contact carrier across said panel to make the said connections during the periods of each day corresponding to said markings; switching means correlated to said electric clock driven means, adapted to complete circuits, on each day of the week, through, and only through, such of said plugs as are in the group of holes corresponding to that day of the week; and switching means adapted to break said circuits during that portion of the day not covered by said markings.

3. In an automatic radio program selector, the combination of: a panel consisting of a plurality of sheets of electrically conducting material cemented between sheets of relatively non-conducting material; a plurality of holes through said panel arranged in seven pairs of rows; markings relating each of said pairs of rows to a particular day of the week and each of said holes to a particular broadcasting period of the day; plugs operable in said holes to make electrical contact with any one of said sheets of conducting material; a contact carrier provided with fourteen contacts so located as to maintain electrical connections simultaneously with all of said plugs in holes corresponding to the same broadcasting period of the day; electric clock driven means adapted to move said contact carrier across said panel to maintain said connections for periods exceeding and including the broadcasting periods corresponding to said markings; similarly driven switching means adapted to energize, on each day of the week, the said plugs, and only the said plugs, in the pair of rows corresponding to that day of the week; and similarly driven switching means adapted to energize each of said plugs only during a period approximating the broadcasting period corresponding to the hole in which such plugs are located.

4. In an automatic radio program selector, the combination of: a panel consisting of a plurality of metal sheets cemented between plastic sheets; a plurality of holes through said panel arranged in seven pairs of alternately staggered rows; ex-

teriorly visibl markings relating each of said pairs of rows to a particular day of the week and each of said holes to a particular broadcasting period of the day; plugs operable in said holes to make electrical contact with. any one of said metal sheets; a contact carrier provided with seven pairs of yielding contacts adapted to maintain electrical connections simultaneously with all of said plugs in holes related to the same broadcasting period of the day but with not more than two of said plugs in any one row at one time; electric clock driven means adapted to move said contact carrier parallel to said panel at such a rate as to establish said connections during periods exceeding and including the broadcasting periods corresponding to said markings; similarly driven switching means adapted, on each day of the week, to energize that pair, and only that pair, of said contacts making connections with plugs in the pair of said rows corresponding to that day of the week; similarly driven switching means adapted to energize alternatively each of the last named pair of contacts for periods closely approximating the said broadcasting periods; similarly actuated switching means adapted to break the electrical circuits through said plugs during the portion of the day not covered by said markings; and wires connected to each of said metal sheets forming part of circuits adapted, when energized, to tune in an associated radio receiving set to a particular broadcasting frequency.

5. in an automatic radio program selector, the combination of: a pluralityof circuit selecting means, each adapted to be pre-set manually to pre-select any one of a plurality of tuning circuits in an associated radio receiving set; ex ternally visible markings relating each of said circuit selecting means, when so pre-set, to a particular broadcasting period of the week and to a particular one of said tuning circuits; electric clock driven contacting means adapted to make electrical connections with each of said circuit selecting means during periods including and exceeding th broadcasting periods corresponding to said markings; and similarly driven switching means adapted to energize said contacting means only during periods approximately coinciding with the last said broadcasting periods.

6. In an automatic radio program selector, the combination of a plurality of circuit selecting means, each adapted to be pre-set manually to pre-selec-t any one of a plurality of tuning circuits in'an associated radio receiving set; externally visible markings relating each of said circuit selecting means, when so pre-set, to a particular broadcasting period of the week and to a particular one of said tuning circuits; electric clock driven contacting means adapted to make electrical connections with each of said circuit selecting means during periods including and exceeding the broadcasting periods corresponding to said markings; and a similarly driven cam adapted to tilt a mercury switch at the beginning and end of each of said broadcasting periods to complete electrical circuits through each of said contacting means only during the periods corresponding to said markings.

7. In an automatic radio program selector, a plurality of program pre-selecting switches each correlated to a particular broadcasting period and manually operable to selectively connect with any one of a plurality of tuning circuits in an associated radio receiving set; clock controlled switching means adapted to make connections with said selecting switches during time intervals exceeding and including the broadcasting periods to which said selecting switches are correlated; and similarly controlled switching means adapted to energize said connections only during the portions of said time intervals approximately coinciding with said broadcasting periods.

8. In an automatic radio program selector, in combination, a plurality of contact points, each in series with a circuit pre-selecting switch correlated to a particular broadcasting period, said contact points being so disposed in rows that point correlated to consecutive periods are in alternate rows; clock driven contacting means adapted to make electrical connections with each of said points during time intervals exceeding and including the broadcasting periods to which said points are correlated; and similarly driven switch means adapted to energize said contacting means alternately for time intervals closely coinciding with said broadcasting periods.

9. In an automatic radio program selector, in combination, a plurality of station pre-selecting switches each visibly related to a particular broadcasting period; clock driven switch means adapted to make electrical connections with said pie-selecting switches through time intervals exceeding and including the broadcasting periods to which said pre-selecting switches are related; and similarly driven switch means adapted to energize said connections only during said periods. 9

1 In an automatic radio program selector, a plurality of incomplete circuits each adapted, when completed and energized, to cause an associated radio set to be tuned to a particular frequency; a plurality of pre-selecting switching means each correlated, when pre-set, to a particular broadcasting period and operable to selec tively connect with any one of said circuit-s, contact points forming part of the circuit through each of said pre-selecting switching means so arranged in rows that consecutive points in any one row correspond to non-consecutive broadcasting periods; contactors each adapted to make electrical connections with the said points in one of said rows; electric clock driven means adapted to move said contactors relatively to said points so as to make the said connections through time intervals exceeding and including the broadcasting periods to which said points are correlated; and similarly driven switching means adapted to energize said circuits through said points during, and only during, portions of the said time intervals approximately coinciding with the said broadcasting periods.

11. In an automatic radio program selector, a plurality of pre-selecting means each manually operable to correlate a particular broadcasting period with a particular frequency; contact points, forming part of actuating circuits through each of said pre-selecting means, so arranged in rows that consecutive points in any one row correspond to alternate broadcasting periods; contactors each adapted to make electrical connections with the said points in an assigned one of said rows; a carrier on which said contactors are mounted; a shaft provided with a continuous right and left handed spiral groove; a follower on said carrier engaging said groove; electric clockwork adapted to rotate said shaft continuously so that, while said carrier is moving in one direction, said connections are made during periods exceeding and including the broadcasting periods to which said points correspond; and a cam operated switch, actuated by said clockwork,

adapted to energize each of said contactors only during. alternate broadcasting periods.

12. In an automatic radio program selector, a plurality of pre-selecting means each manually operable to correlate a particular broadcasting period with a particular frequency; contact points, forming part of actuating circuits through each of said pre-selecting means, so arranged in rows that consecutive points in any one row correspond to alternate broadcasting periods; contactors each adapted to make electrical connections with the said points in one only of said rows; a carrier on which said contactors are mounted; a shaft provided with a continuous right and left handed spiral groove; a follower on said carrier engaging said groove; electric clockwork adapted to rotate said shaft continuously so that, while said carrier is moving in one direction, said connections are made during periods exceeding and including the broadcasting periods to which said points correspond; a cam operated switch, actuated by said clockwork, adaptedv to energize each of said contactors only during alternate broadcasting periods; and switching means adapted to energize said contactors only during the movement of said carrier in one direction.

13. In an automatic radio program selector, a panel structure comprising a plurality of interleaved conducting and non-conducting sheets; openings through said panel structure arranged in vertically spaced groups respectively corresponding to the days of the week, the openings of each group being horizontally spaced and respectively corresponding to a daily time interval; means adapted for connecting each of said conducting sheets with a tuned circuit; contact plugs adapted for insertion into said openings for selective engagement with said conducting sheets; a carrier adapted to be horizontally traversed in a plane parallel to said panel structure means for traversing said carrier; a plurality of contactors on said carrier arranged in vertically spaced relation such that they are respectively adapted to engage individual plugs inserted in the openings of said groups for a predetermined time interval during traversal of the carrier; means for controlling the speed of travel of said carrier; and means for selectively establishing a connection between one of said contactors and an audio reproducing means.

14. In an automatic radio program selector, :1 panel structure comprising a plurality of interleaved conductin and non-conducting sheets; openings through said panel structure arranged in vertically spaced groups respectively corresponding to the days of the week, the openings of each group being horizontally spaced and respectively corresponding to a daily time interval; means adapted for connecting each of said conducting sheets with a tuned circuit; contact plugs adapted for insertion into said openings for selective engagement with said conducting sheets; a carrier adapted to be horizontally traversed in a plane parallel to said panel structure means for traversing said carrier; a plurality of contactors on said carrier arranged in vertically spaced relation such that they respectively successively engage the plugs of the openings of the respective groups during traversal of the carrier; means for controlling the speed of traversal of the carrier; means adapted for selectively connecting one of the contactors with the audio portion of a radio; and means for automatically controlling said last means arranged and constructed such that the contactor related to the group of openings for a 13 particular day of the week is connected to said audio portion on that day.

15. In an automatic radio program selector, 2. panel comprising interleaved sheets of conducting and non-conducting material, said panel being provided with a plurality of groups of apertures; markings relating each of the apertures of said groups to a particular broadcasting period of the day; conducting means associated with each of said conducting sheets adapted to complete electrical circuits through said sheets thereby to tune an associated radio receiving apparatus to a particular frequency; a plurality of plugs adapted to be received by said apertures for selectively contacting said conducting sheets; electrically driven timing means; switching means controlled by said timing means adapted to selectively establish a circuit through said plugs; and means controlled by said timing means for establishing a separate circuit through said switching means for each day of the week.

16. In an automatic radio program selector, a panel comprising interleaved sheets of conducting and non-conducting material, said panel being provided with a plurality of groups of apertures; markings relating each of the apertures of said groups to a particular broadcasting period of the day; conducting means associated with each of said conducting sheets adapted to complete electrical circuits through said sheets thereby to tune an associated radio receiving apparatus to a particular frequency; a plurality of plugs adapted to be received by said apertures for selectively contacting said conducting sheets; identifying marks on said plugs indicating which of said sheets the respective plugs will contact; electrically driven timing means; switching means controlled by said timing means adapted to selec- 14 tively establish a circuit through said plugs; and means controlled by said timing means for establishing a separate circuit through said switching means for each day of the week.

17. In an automatic radio program selector, switch means comprising a group of contacts for each day of the week; a carrier having contacts thereon adapted to engage the contacts of said groups; means for moving the carrier thereby to successively engage the carrier contacts with the group contacts; and switch means carried by the carrier for selectively energizing the contacts for one day of the week only.

GORDON R. PENNINGTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,093,494 Stone Sept. 21, 1937 2,106,715 Brugger Feb. 1, 1938 2,130,164 Verkins Sept. 13, 1938 2,248,144 VVestby July 8, 1941 2,072,046 Estermyer, Sr. Feb. 23, 1937 2,019,157 Rice et a1. Oct. 29, 1935 2,073,417 Fox et a1 Mar. 9, 1937 2,035,255 Avery Mar. 24, 1936 2,177,479 De Tar Oct. 24, 1939 2,045,251 Raber June 23, 1936 2,050,719 McClure Aug. 11, 1936 2,034,254 Stenerson Mar. 17, 1936 1,992,327 Powell Feb. 26, 1935 2,172,492 Barrie Sept. 12, 1939 2,124,195 Jones July 19, 1938 2,192,235 McCarthy Mar. 5, 1940 2,165,483 Huggins July 11, 1939 

